Success in the sport of hunting is usually increased by the use of a hunting blind to help shield the hunter from view of the prey. Hunting blinds may be permanent or portable. Permanent hunting blinds typically include a rigid-wall, box-like structure mountable on legs for elevating the hunter above the ground and for protecting the hunter within the box from view of the prey. Ground-level hunting blinds are utilized for the hunter to sit, crouch, or stand behind or in. Portable hunting blinds are sometimes advantageous as they may be easily carried by a single hunter and set up at various locations throughout the day. Moreover, a portable hunting blind may be moved easily to change the position of the hunting blind with respect to the direction of view of the hunter.
One such portable hunting blind used for years is simply four poles and a loose sheet. The poles are staked into the ground and the sheet draped over it, forming a crude enclosure to shield the hunter from sight of the prey.
Applicant provides for a convenient, easily transported hunting blind that is simple to set up and stable and effective in shielding the hunter and provides an excellent surface for resting a camera or firearm.
Applicant's portable hunting blind is comprised of a 2 (or more)-panel folding screen. The panels articulate with one another and have legs at the bottom. The blind is set up with the legs pushed into the ground for stability, and the panels set up at an angle with one another in a generally "v" shape, behind which the hunter can sit, stand, or crouch when viewing the countryside. Unique to Applicant's multiple-panel blind is the use of multi-ply sleeves or covers that are reversible, having a variety of camouflage colors on the surfaces thereof so as to adapt to various terrain--woods, brush, sandy, rocky, etc. Moreover, the blind with multiple pivoting panels and reversible sleeves typically provides excellent concealment for the hunter while providing him with excellent visibility. With the sleeves able to slide off the frames of the panels and reversed or turned inside out, the hunter is presented with four different blind face combinations that will be suitable for almost any hunting environment. Applicant's screen is quick to set up, easily affordable, and allows the hunter to take maximum advantage of the natural cover and terrain.
As can be seen in the accompanying sheet of drawings, the folding screen/hunting blind consists of a frame typically comprised of 1/8" thickness mild steel angle iron 3/4".times.3/4" width with the top and bottom corners braced with a square piece of 1/8" thick 2".times.2" flat plate welded into each corner. A 1/2" diameter hole is drilled into each plate and the bottom of each leg is typically cut at an angle to facilitate pushing legs into the ground. The frames are comprised of two upright side rails, a top rail, and a bottom rail. The legs are typically 6" long, the width of the frame is typically 18" to 30" wide and the height is 30" to 60". The height should be sufficient so that a seated hunter can see and shoot over the top rail.
There is a 4-ply reversible sleeve that covers the frame. Each of the plies is fabric, with typically cotton, cotton blend, or synthetic in four different patterns. For example, on the accompanying sheet of drawings, side A is olive green camouflage, side B sand colored, side C mottled green and brown, and side D buff/gray/green mottled. Each of the two sleeves (to cover the two frames to a screen/blind) has the same four plies. Thus, the hunter, if in rocky terrain with a little vegetation and a lot of light sandstone, would use side B on the outside surface of the frame to face the area in which he anticipates the prey, or the hunter could choose to pout one of the other sides out, by either turning the sleeve inside out or turning it around on the frame (or turning the entire frame around). A two-ply sleeve could be used, and the hunter could use the appropriate design as the outward facing surface.
Grommets through each side of a cover allow the covers to be attached to the frame by running insulated solid copper wire through the grommets. In the same manner, adjacent panels can be held together by wire through the plies through the holes in the corner brace and through the grommets and holes in the adjacent panel, as illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings. This wire also functions as a hinge.
One set of two attached frames may be used as a blind by placing them on the ground in a "v" shape position in front of a suitable bush or tree so that it tends to blend in with the background, and therefore camouflage the hunter from the prey. Two sets of frames can be used as illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings to put adjacent one another to provide an enclosure to more completely surround the hunter. Further, there can be extra camouflage sheet panels (not shown) which likewise have the four plies but are utilized to fill the gap in a 2-blind setup where adjacent, unattached panels meet. By utilizing two extra 4-ply sheets to form a full enclosure between two 2-panel screens/blinds, a more complete cover is effected.
Since the two panels are easily foldable, they can be carried beneath the arm of a hunter and into the field. Moreover, when the panels are folded together, there is a nice pocket where the adjacent frames lay one against the other to store the stool and any other materials. Indeed, Applicant's portable hunting blind may include a folding camp stool with a back rest and a camouflage facemask or facemask/headcover to provide a complete kit for the hunter.
While the frame material is indicated to be angled iron, it may be any suitable material that is strong enough and light enough to carry into the field. Further, extra panels may be attached to the 2-panel blind for a blind with three or more panels. It is indicated that the sleeves be of multiple plies, each consisting of a separate design; but, it is reasonable to assume that the frame could be covered with less than four plies of material in varying patterns to reduce manufacturing cost.